Caesarea, Mt. Carmel, Megiddo, Nazareth, Gaililee

October 28 (11pm)

We left Jerusalem at 7:30 this morning and traveled to the Galilee region. Our first stop was  Caesarea. This is the site of an opulent port city that Herod the Great built. He planned, directed, and completed in his lifetime many great projects. Think palaces, temples, ports, aqueducts,....the list goes on; and all on a grand scale. The only other person I know who could pull off this type of planning  would be my sister Sharon. He has her beat though, because he did it all without the help of Excel spreadsheets. The Mediterranean Sea was very beautiful and the sky was clear blue. We left there and traveled toward Mt. Carmel. On the way up, we stopped and ate at a restaurant owned by a Syrian Druze family. The food was great. Very different. Next, we arrived at the summit of Mt. Carmel where Elijah challenged Jezebel's prophets of Baal in  order to show the people that there is only one God and it wasn't Baal. My  grandson Ethan would say it was the ultimate "smack down". From there, we went down into the Jezreel valley and to the archeological site of Megiddo. This is where many people believe the battle of Armegeddon will take place. No matter how you interpret  Revelations, the underlying theme of the book is hope and assurance.  The believer can be comforted that in the end, God's kingdom will prevail and things will be better. Our last stop of the day was at Nazareth. This is the place where The angel Gabriel appeared to Mary and told here she would be the mother of the Messiah. We went to the top of the ridge overlooking Nazareth and the Jezreel  Valley for some Bible study and saw a beautiful sunset. We got to the En Gev kibbutz around 6p.m. 
We will be staying here for for the next few days while we explore the Galilee region. 

Herod the Great's port city of Caesarea on the Mediterranean Sea

Sunset from the Nazareth ridge overlooking the Jezreel Valley

(Problems with wifi last night. I gave you two pictures since this was late) 

   

Free day in The Old City, Evening lecture

October 27 (8:30 p.m. There is now a six hour difference because the time changed here this weekend)

Even though we had a free day, we still got up early. The extra hour of rest from the time change here was much needed because we went to the Temple Mount this morning. There are 12 people from a church in Michigan and I joined them to go there. I told them I was going to be like Ruth in the Bible; their people would become my people and I would follow them wherever  they went.  The hours are very limited and you must be there really early to get in and must be modestly dressed. Knees and elbows covered.  Security is tight and strictly enforced. We stood in line for about one and a half hours. The Temple Mount is the most important site in Jerusalem and really in the whole world. It is the placed where Abraham was going to sacrifice Isaac and also the site of Solomon's Temple. This is where the Ark of the Covenant was kept and was the worship center for the Jewish people. The Dome of the Rock, which is a Muslim mosque, was built over the site in the 7th century. Non- Muslims can go on the plaza surrounding the mosque but not inside the temple. From there, we walked down part of the Via Delarosa and went to Bethesda's Pool. That is the site where Jesus healed the crippled man. We walked back through the markets which are exactly like those streets you see in all the movies where the cars and motorcycles are in a chase with people, fruit, and stuff going everywhere. No car chases today but a few motorcycles we had to jump away from.  A few of us wanted some "real" food, so we headed on back and went to a pizza place right beside our hotel. It was wonderful! We had some classroom work in the afternoon and I stepped out of class for a bit and was able to FaceTime with some of family and friends who were at Sunday  School. It was good to see and talk to you guys. We leave for Galilee early in the morning and will be there for 4 days. We were told that the wifi there comes and goes, so I hope to be able to post daily as usual. Don't be alarmed, however, if I am late with a posting. Love reading your comments.

Temple Mount (Dome of the Rock)

Judah's Hill Country, Shephelah (Sampson, David & Goliath)

October 26 (10:30 p.m.)

We were off to the bus again this morning at 7:30 a.m. Ready for another busy day. We left Jerusalem and traveled out of the city into Judah's Hill Country. It is the Jewish Sabbath and there are fewer cars on the street. Everywhere families are walking to the synagogue. Almost everything closes down for the Sabbath. Outside the city there are more things open, including many public parks and hiking trails. We began our day at a park above the deep Sorek canyon in the hill country.  This Is s really beautiful place with terraced gardens and streams that come down the side of the hills. Residents of the city can rent a terraced garden to grow vegetables and fruits.  There were all kinds of vegetation, including olive, fig, and almond trees. There were beautiful vineyards that would have taken an extreme amount of patience and effort to be fruitful. When you see these vineyards that were the reference for what Jesus said in  John 15 (I are the vine, you are the branches......), it makes you see what a great amount of time and effort The Lord  puts into us to make us fruitful.  We left there and drove through the Sorek Canyon down into the Shephelah which means "humble hills". We  stopped at the site of the ruins of a Byzantine monastery. The place is Beth-Shemesh. This is the home of Sampson. It is also the town to which the Philistines returned the captured Ark of the Covenant. They decided, shall we say it was  "too hot to handle". We did some field work there and Bible study.  We had a picnic lunch provided by the program. Lunch is set up and prepared by us and usually  is pita, hummus, carrots, peanut butter and jelly (my choice), and fruit. After lunch, we went to the Elah Valley which is the site of the David and Goliath story. We hiked up a steep hill to overlook the valley at an archeological site that is being studied. The name of the place is Shaaraim. It is known David and Solomon were here. They would have entered the city by stepping over the large door stone that is still there. It is awesome to know my feet have stood exactly where King David and King Solomon's have stood.

I am having trouble with my IPad and had to post from my phone. I hope to get it working soon. I will post pictures at that time.

Wifi has reawakened from a great sleep. So here is a picture .

The stone at the threshold of Shaariam

Shiloh, Jericho, and the Wilderness of Judah

October 25 ( 10:30 pm)

Oh, no! I imported the wrong picture! Now you all know the truth. I'm really in Hawaii with Elvis.
Seriously, this is the bus we take out to our field studies and the driver is Alhadean (sounds like Paula Dean without the P). Imagine our surprise when he drove up. But for sure, he is easy to spot when we go to the really crowded places. He is also an AMAZING driver who can get us in and out of anyplace. Sometimes completely in reverse.

Our day started northwest of Jerusalem at Nebi Samwil which means Prophet Samuel. It is a site high on a hill that is the place where Samuel anointed Saul as the first king of Israel. It functions as a worship site for Jews and Muslims. Why is Samuel important to Muslims? We asked that too. The
Muslims honor Samuel because he promoted the idea that there is only one a God which is central to their faith.  They share the worship site; Muslims on Friday and Jews on Saturday.  We left there and traveled to Shiloh. To get there we had to go into Palestinian territory and through check points. They just waved the big Hawaii bus right through. Go figure. Shiloh is the site where God revealed to Joshua where the tribal allotments would be. It was amazing to realize we were standing where the
Israelites stood after they had crossed into the promised land and the ark of the covenant was with them there. We left there and descended to Jericho which is 853 feet below sea level.  It is a beautiful oasis town and green with date palm trees and other fruits and vegetables. Very different geography from where we had been. Most of you have heard the story of the walls if Jericho falling when the Israelites marched around the city seven times and gave a great shout. Also, We explored the ruins of a fortress that was built around 7500 BC. That is 5000 years before the time of Abraham.  From there we ascended to the Judean Wilderness. This is the area where Jesus was tempted for forty days and where David tended sheep and was surely his reference for the 23rd Psalm. We hiked up a steep hill and took a goat path to a quiet spot and did some  field work and Bible study. Before we left, Andy (our elected song leader) led us in some praise choruses about the greatness of protection of God. There were Bedouins there leading their goats through the hills and of course trying to sell us things. I may have bought something, Meg. Before we left, Alhadean made us some Bedouin coffee. Most of you know that don't like coffee, but I had to try it.  Whew, VERY strong. Okay, I can say I've done that and cross it off my list for good.

The site of Jericho 

Mount of Olives, Garden of Gethsemane, Herodium, and Bethlehem

October 24 (10:30 p.m.)
If the title of my post sound like a lot of things to see in one day, that 's because it was!  However, all this is within a 10 mile area. Looking out from the Mount if Olives, you are able to see the route Jesus would have taken when he  made his triumphant entry into Jerusalem. There is a saddle in the ridge that was the natural route and from there he descended into the Kidron Valley as people lined the road and waved palms. Palms are a symbol of victory in Israeli history.  From the vantage point of the Mt. Of Olives you can trace the entire route He took entire  during Passion Week. It is a very steep walk down the Mount of Olives to the Garden of Gethsemane.  I will definitely have sore legs tomorrow. From there, we went about 10 miles South (on a bus, thank goodness) to the Herodium. That was a fortress, lookout, and elaborate vacation home that Herod had built for himself. He had a big swimming pool with an island in the middle constructed. Sisters, he had the original party island.  The site is under archaeological excavation and quite impressive. From the top of the fortress you can see a glimpse of the Dead Sea to the East, the Hebron mountains South, Bethlehem is West and Jerusalem to to the North.  Next, we went into the West Bank. We had to have our passports and go through an Israeli check point. Then behind the wall and into Bethlehem which is in what the people who live there call the state of Palestine, but the Israelis do not. A disputed territory. We visited with an Arab Christian shop owner who gave us a great talk about being an Arab Christian living in the West Bank. What I would say to all of you about the things you see on the news about this disputed area is that it's a lot like home; the news tells you what they want you to hear. There are two sides to every story and the truth is usually somewhere in the middle. We visited the shepherds fields and our  group had a short "Christmas" service outside in the Shepherds  field with the Mediterranean breeze blowing across.  Pastor Rhoda from Ohio recited the Christmas story from Luke. Andy, a missionary from South America, led us in several Christmas carols, and Pastor Mike from  Michigan closed in prayer. Definitely a once in a lifetime Christmas service. After dinner, the director of the University had a reception for us at his home. He and his wife were very gracious hosts. Another big day tomorrow. Off to bed for some much needed rest.

At the Herodium. Ongoing excavation of Herod's Tomb in the foreground and Bethlehem in the far background..

City of David, Hezakiah's Tunnel & The Western Wall

October 23
I would like you all to note that the time stamps on my posts are Eastern Standard Time. I have kept my Ipad on the time at home. So add 7 hours to all time stamps.

This morning we spent in the classroom to prepare for field studies tomorrow. It is amazing how enriched your study of the scripture becomes when you add an understanding of the geography of the Promised Land.  After lunch, we went to the City of David. Quick history: David's Jerusalem was about 10 acres. Solomon enlarged the city to about 32 acres. Hezakiah expanded it to about 132 acres. The City of David is just the original 10 acres. That is where we began our walk in Jerusalem today. We visited the archeological site that contains some of the original Canaanite wall that was there when David conquered the city from the Jebusites.  From there, we went through Hezakiah's water tunnel. The water system was dug beneath the city in order to provide water for the Jewish people while under siege. It is an engineering feat of unimaginable proportion. John Gibson and Melvin, you would have loved it (but you would still be there asking questions, lol). We actually walked  through the tunnel. In places the walls were barely wide enough to pass and the ceiling was so low you had to bend down and all done while walking through a flowing stream of water knee deep in some places. Oh, and with flashlights.  No lighting or handrails. It took about 30 minutes to get through the tunnel which comes out into the Pool of Siloam. The pool of Siloam is where Jesus put clay on the eyes of the blind man and told him  to go wash in the pool  and receive his sight. I would not have missed it for the world.  From there we went to the Western Wall (also known as the Wailing Wall but not a term the Jews like) where we were able to pray at the wall and leave a written prayer in the cracks of the wall. Several names were placed there.  There was an Israeli army induction ceremony taking place there and we got to watch it. All Israelis must serve 2 years in the military. It was so strange to see young ladies walking around with semi-automatic (automatic for all I know about great big guns) strapped across them. From there, our Professor took us to the shop of an Orthodox  Jew who put out stools for all of us to sit on and closed his shop to  spend some time telling us all about the Jewish faith and answer any questions we had. He said the main thing we should understand is that we are not here by accident; God has called us here to His Holy Mountain to reveal Himself . He said we are a part of the fulfillment of prophecy that is rapidly taking place.  Very powerful.  A wonderful day.

                                                      City of David archeological site

Overlook technical difficulty and another picture

October 22 (cont.)

Can't figure a few blog elements out. Ignore the duplicate picture in the previous post.Caption should have read "steps of the temple". Will try to edit tomorrow.  *october 23  successfully edited!

Our group looking at the Temple Mount